# Life on Mars U.S. edition - why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595 "2008-04-23T20:41:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/1 "2008-04-23T20:41:06Z")
What’s the point? > **[Life on Mars (TV Series 2008–2009) ⭐ 7.5 | Crime, Drama, Mystery](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0787490/)** > > 1h | TV-14 Ok, Meany is a good actor, but what could he possibly add to Glenister’s portrayal of Gene Hunt? Also, I can think of only two occasions where transfering Brit comedy to the U.S. actully worked - **The Office** and the movie version of **High Fidelity**. Why would anyone even consider taking something that’s so extremely British as **Life on Mars** and think it would work transfered to [del]Boston[/del]\* the U.S.? Of course, there’s the off chance it does work, gets an audience, runs for eight seasons and then nicely connects to the U.S. version of Ashes to Ashes. If that happens you guys are free to remind me in '16 and I will gladly, on video, eat my shorts. \*Seeing that Dave Kelley is doing the writing, I doubt it’ll be set in Denver, CO. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/2 "2008-04-23T21:27:31Z")
Well, I’ll go ahead and add \*\*Sanford and Son \*\* and **All in the Family** to the list…and I’m sure there are others to be added… But I have no problem with this particular thing. I’d love to see American '70s tropes revisited. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/3 "2008-04-23T22:13:16Z")
[QUOTE=Charlie Tan] What’s the point? Ok, Meany is a good actor, but what could he possibly add to Glenister’s portrayal of Gene Hunt? Also, I can think of only two occasions where transfering Brit comedy to the U.S. actully worked - **The Office** and the movie version of **High Fidelity**. Why would anyone even consider taking something that’s so extremely British as **Life on Mars** and think it would work transfered to [del]Boston[/del]\* the U.S.? [/QUOTE] The point is that despite the existance of BBC America most Americans have never seen it and probably never heard of it. There is a chance that it may become popular here on it’s own merits. Since it is a David Kelley project I doubt it will be a straight copy. He’ll put his own spin on it. And add Three’s Company to the list of successful British comedies transferred to America. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/4 "2008-04-24T00:02:59Z")
Loved that show!!! But given that a great aspect of the show was wondering what was going on, I can’t a remake going down the same path. Then it’s not really a remake. Or is it? I don’t know. I miss Sam et al. Even that creepy television girl. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/5 "2008-04-24T00:45:10Z")
The main character, stuck in 1975, will probably have an advisor from 2008 that only he (and babies and dogs) can see. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/6 "2008-04-24T01:22:53Z")
Colm Meaney’s American accent is hamtastic. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/7 "2008-04-24T01:38:52Z")
Both Colm Meaney and Jason O’Mara are Irish. What’s up with that? ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/8 "2008-04-24T02:41:30Z")
I think it’s kind of odd that they’re keeping the title. “Life on Mars?” wasn’t a very well-known song in the U.S. in 1973, was it? (Not having seen the show, I don’t know if the title has some intrinsic importance, but since the next series was called “Ashes to Ashes” I’m assuming it’s a Bowie reference.) ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/9 "2008-04-24T02:43:53Z")
It’s bound to be a bit different, because '70s cops in England were not the same as '70s cops in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/10 "2008-04-24T08:42:56Z")
[QUOTE=TWDuke] I think it’s kind of odd that they’re keeping the title. “Life on Mars?” wasn’t a very well-known song in the U.S. in 1973, was it? (Not having seen the show, I don’t know if the title has some intrinsic importance, but since the next series was called “Ashes to Ashes” I’m assuming it’s a Bowie reference.) [/QUOTE] It alludes to the main character’s view that life in 1973 is so different that he might as well be on Mars. The Bowie tune is used in the soundtrack, along with a ton of other kick-ass early 70’s tunes, and LoM is playing on his iPod/eight-track, before/after his jump back to 1973. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/11 "2008-04-24T13:47:25Z")
I wonder how far the cloning will go. The UK version had only 16 episodes and had a definitive ending. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/12 "2008-04-24T13:58:12Z")
Ooooh. Loved the show. Would gladly watch a remake. Of course, I’d also like to find a Region 1 version of the DVD, but hey. . . ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/13 "2008-04-24T21:25:14Z")
I don’t see why a US version of the show wouldn’t go down well, the idea of the time travelling cop would work quite well with a look at any country in the 70s. Meaney should be decent as a gruff type too. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/14 "2008-04-24T21:47:19Z")
[QUOTE=Charlie Tan] Why would anyone even consider taking something that’s so extremely British as **Life on Mars** and think it would work transfered to [del]Boston[/del]\* the U.S.? \*Seeing that Dave Kelley is doing the writing, I doubt it’ll be set in Denver, CO. [/QUOTE] Los Angeles, according to the Wikipedia article. > **[Life on Mars (American TV series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_on_Mars_%28US_TV_series%29)** > > Life on Mars is an American crime drama television series which originally aired on ABC from October 9, 2008 to April 1, 2009. It is an adaptation of the original British series of the same title produced for the BBC. The series was co-produced by Kudos Film and Television, 20th Century Fox Television, and ABC Studios. > The series tells the story of New York City police detective Sam Tyler (played by Jason O'Mara), who, after being struck by a car in 2008, regains consciousness in 1973. Fringin... This has got BAD IDEA written all over it. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/15 "2008-04-24T22:57:12Z")
As Lost has shown us, by turning an intriguing and creepy mystery into something overlong, I don’t really get the point of this. Lost has made some headway by having a ton of weird things happen, but LOM had only a few. And if it gets cancelled without notice, do we miss out on a definitive end? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2008, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/16 "2008-04-25T00:45:57Z")
[QUOTE=Pushkin] I don’t see why a US version of the show wouldn’t go down well, the idea of the time travelling cop would work quite well with a look at any country in the 70s. Meaney should be decent as a gruff type too. [/QUOTE] The biggest reason I can see is because the original was designed to be 16 episodes long. That is not even a successful season in American TV. They are going to have to change it to be more open ended. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/17 "2008-04-27T23:13:46Z")
I’m glad I’m not alone in thinking Ashes to Ashes should be avoided - unclean! Unclean! It’s odd that whenever the US imports a UK show it seems to string it out for years and years, they did it with Queer as Folk (in the UK ran for one series and a two-part special) and the Office, which ran for two series and an xmas special. As far as I know both shows are still going in the US. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/18 "2008-04-27T23:25:09Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] It’s odd that whenever the US imports a UK show it seems to string it out for years and years, they did it with Queer as Folk (in the UK ran for one series and a two-part special) and the Office, which ran for two series and an xmas special. [/QUOTE] _Queer As Folk_ ended a couple years ago. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2008, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/19 "2008-04-27T23:42:28Z")
I do not think this is a good idea, but only because I’m so in love with Sam Tyler. Having said that, there’s no reason that the basic premise can’t be stretched for a full season (ie, more than 16) episodes, or over a handful of seasons. The underlying mystery set up by the voice over at the beginning (have I traveled back in time? Am I in a coma? etc) was answered pretty early in the first season, IIRC (I did watch the show out of order), so it’s not like _why_ he was there even mattered too much. The real heart of the show was reconciling 2008 sensibilities and Tyler’s conscience with 1970s era hard-nosed “practicality” and dirty police work, not to mention racism and other “isms” to add to the tension, with a good amount of daddy-angst on the side. There’s no reason that can’t be translated to an American setting. I’m not saying it’ll be done _well_, because I have no faith in American television in general, but it can be done and it’s got good potential. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-on-mars-u-s-edition-why/446595/20 "2008-04-28T13:35:53Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] The biggest reason I can see is because the original was designed to be 16 episodes long. That is not even a successful season in American TV. They are going to have to change it to be more open ended. [/QUOTE] OTOH, most episodes were just standard procedural crime set in the 70’s with a dash of “Sam in the future” stuff. Very little plot advancement at all. It’s not hard to stretch that out to a full season.